38 Week Appt - BIG NEWS

Monday was our 38 week check up with Dr. Judd. It went a little like this....

Greet the nurse - "Seems like I just saw you guys! Oh wait, I did!" haha we love our nurses at Dr. Judd's office! They're so friendly and helpful. We couldn't have asked for better people to help us along this journey!
Pee in a cup.. again.
Step on the scale - didn't gain anything this time. (a sign she's 'bout ready)
Talk to the nurse - I asked how long Dr. Judd will usually let you go past your due date if you go overdue. She said usually no more than a week because your placenta just isn't that great at it's job after 40 weeks. She also said in order to be induced you have to be what they call "inducable" meaning your body has to be showing signs that it is preparing for labor and delivery (dilating, effaced, etc..)
Went in to see Dr. Judd - He did a pelvic exam and declared that I am, indeed, inducable... already! We talked about our options. He said we could wait it out and see when she wants to come, or he could induce me anytime starting Nov. 1st. He suggested being induced because 1) Why would you want to be pregnant any longer than you have to? and 2) You can schedule it, go in, get your epidural, then be induced, and avoid as much pain as possible. We also discussed which hospital would best suit our needs for delivery. My insurance will cover UVRMC, Timpanogas, or Orem Community. Of the 3, Dr. Judd suggested Orem Community because they are a maternity focused hospital so they really know what they're doing. And they're only one floor so you don't ever have to move rooms.
Tiave & I chatted -  We decided to be induced on Nov. 1st so that he could plan to have plenty of time off work and so that I could finish out the week at work and still have time for last minute prep and sleep. We also decided that Orem Community was the place to be because... well, why not?
Scheduling time - We let the scheduling lady know we wanted to be induced on the first. She called us later that evening to let us know we were all set for 5 a.m. that day. Yuck. But we'll take it :) She should be here by dinner time.

Questions I keep getting:

1: Are you ready?
-Is this a trick question? I don't think you can really be "ready" for something like this. But we are as ready as we'll ever be I suppose. So... yes?
2: Do you still want her to come earlier than that?
-I thought so at first, but I'm really liking the plan we have set up and I really hope it stays the way it is.
3: Are you getting induced and going to Orem just because your Dr. said to?
-Yes and No. Yes because that would be a perfectly good reason to do what I'm doing. I trust my Dr. 100%. If I didn't... we'd have a problem. No because I did actually do my research on inductions and Orem Community hospital and came to my own opinion as well. It just so happens to match up with Dr. Judd's. So there.

So... instead of going in for our 39 week appt on Monday, we'll just meet Dr. Judd at the hospital at 5 a.m. next Thursday. We'll get checked in and comfortable. He'll give me my epidural, then an IV of oxytocin (the hormone naturally released by your body to put you into labor) We'll labor all day and she'll probably arrive just in time for dinner.
If you feel like visiting, that's probably fine. Just text me or Tiave and see how things are before you do, please :) We'd love to see everyone, but understand that it's going to be a taxing few days and we may need some time to ourselves as well.

Pregnancy Pain: Let's Talk About It

Today I've decided to post a little about what I have learned about pregnancy.

Disclaimer: I am NOT and expert. I am simply sharing what I have learned from my Dr., other pregnant women, and the internet.

When you are pregnant, or looking to get pregnant you will have LOTS of questions. So, I'm going to address some of the questions I had and hope that I can be of help to some of you.

Let's start with my most recent discovery... Sciatic Nerve Pain.
Walking around the Zoo one day I started to have rather severe pain in my right thigh and butt cheek. For me, it felt like I had pulled a muscle... but then it went away. and came back. and went away. So at my next Dr's appt. I asked about it. Dr. Judd informed me that it was Sciatic Nerve Pain (Sciatica). He said it's very common during pregnancy and is caused by the baby's head putting pressure on your sciatic nerve.

So... how do you know if you have sciatica?
1: It can feel like a pulled muscle, your leg is falling asleep, or just plain hurt.
2: It is most likely only on one side, and is probably your right side (95% of the time anyway)
3: It comes and goes - not constant pain
4: It can range from uncomfortable to debilitating.

And.. how do you make it go away?
-You don't. But here are some tricks to find relief
1: Lie down on the opposite side of the pain to relieve pressure
2: Soak in a warm bath, then put a cold compress on the pain. The heat will relax your muscles, and the cold with draw away any inflammation.
3: Get a prenatal massage/chiropractic adjustment
4: Wear a maternity belt

When do you worry about it?
-You don't. It is not harmful to you or the baby, it just sucks.

Next on today's list... Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP)
Lying in bed one night, I went to roll over onto my other side. After attempting to swing my legs over and experiencing bone shattering pain... I decided something was wrong. After lots of research I found that I had PGP and that I was fine... it just sucked. (seeing a theme here?)

So... how do you know you have PGP?
1: The pain will be generalized in your back and pelvis.
2: It's JOINT pain, not muscle pain
3: It will probably be accompanied by pain in your back and hips

And... how do you make it go away?
-You don't. You can try finding relief by...
1: Acupuncture
2: Place a heating pad on it
3: Wear a maternity belt when you'll be standing or walking - (this one worked GREAT for me)

When do you worry?
1: When your Dr. tells you to. If you have or think you have PGP let your Dr. know. He/She can monitor the pain and let you know if it is PGP or something else like Symphsis Pubic Disfunction. PGP is nothing to worry about, but SPD could be.



No matter the pain you're feeling, my best advice is to TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. Every woman is different. Every pregnancy is different. It's better to call and ask about it and find out it's no big deal than to not ask about it and realize all too late that you have a real problem. Most problems - if addressed in a timely manner - can be handled and treated safely.

If you happen to be reading this blog and have questions about something going on in your pregnancy that you'd like more info on, let me know. Or if you think there's something pregnant women should be more educated on, I'd be happy to share what I know and find some more credible resources for you to check out as well!

Coming Soon...

Our little baby is 11cm from bum to head. That's about 4.5 inches.
It's feet and hands are crossed over it's little gummi bear-like body.
It's little heart is thumping away at 174 bpm.
It’s still too early to know if we’ll be having a girl or a boy, but I’ll start taking guesses if anyone’s interested.

We have been pretty lucky in our first trimester. I was really sick for about 5 days, but we seem to be past that yuckiness and we haven’t come across any other issues.

We learned so much at our first Doctor’s appt yesterday! Our awesome OB/GYN Dr. Judd busted and verified some of the big pregnancy dos and don’ts and really made me feel comfortable with everything. With all the craziness, it’s hard to know what is true, and what is paranoia. Here are just a few things we found helpful/interesting.

“You can’t lift anything more than a gallon of milk” –BUSTED. You use your abdominal muscles, your lower back muscles and your biceps to lift and carry. In no way is your uterus in use at this time and the baby can’t even feel what you’re doing. If you have the muscle strength for it, you can lift/carry it.
 “You can’t eat fish” – BUSTED. You can’t eat MERCURY! Mercury is found in things like swordfish and shark. Who eats swordfish or shark? You can still have sushi and tuna fish. But just like EVERYTHING else in this world, do so in moderation.
“You can’t hot tub or take hot baths, because you’ll cook your baby” –BUSTED. In order for your baby to be affected at all by the heat from a bath tub or hot tub, you would have to have major burns on your body first.
 “You can’t take most medications.” –TRUE. Any medicine you may need should be discussed with your Dr. Things like ibuprofen and aspirin thin your stomach lining and could be really harmful to your pregnancy. Most medicines, even OTC, have the possibility of having an adverse affect on you and your baby.
“Now you’re eating for 2”-FALSE. When pregnant you only need to eat about 300 extra calories per day for your growing baby, and you only need about 30 fat grams in the same time. FYI, 30 fat grams is about 1 scoop of Baskin Robin’s ice cream.
“You’ll want to sleep ALL the time” –TRUE. With no effort, the baby takes up 25% of your energy every day. Most people operate on about 80% energy on a daily basis anyway. Take 25% away from that and you’re stuck trying to work full time, and take care of yourself and your family on 55% energy levels. The sad part is, it doesn’t matter what you eat or how much you sleep, the tiredness doesn’t go away. And it won’t until after 22ish weeks.

2 sayings to live by to have a fun and happy pregnancy…
“I can do anything I want as long as it’s not harmful to me. I can’t harm this baby without harming myself first”
“Now is the time to play, go out with my husband, and do the things we love, because in a year, I’ll have to find someone dumb enough to babysit if I want to go out.”

We are so excited for this chapter in our lives and are so thankful for the support of our friends and family!